The return of the discount retailer to the UK, in concert with Sainsbury’s, will put pressure on the other discounters.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were protein replenishment stations called Netto. These were places that few wanted to go to and they hailed from a distant planet called Danmarkia. Then the forces of good overcame them and they disappeared. Now the Empire strikes back and Netto has returned, except that this time it too is a force for good.

Yes, teaming up with Sainsbury’s, the Danish discounter that used to be pretty much the shop of last resort, albeit it was cheap, is resurgent and trading from a location in Leeds.

Back in the day, Netto stores were places that had the smack of privation about them – you went because you had to and they were not pleasant.

Everything had been pared back on the altar of price and the outcome was store environments that smacked of make-do and not mend.

Yet if what has been done in Leeds is anything to go by, Netto has learnt from its previous foray into this market and has not only tidied up its act, but is taking on the other discounters at their own game.

And the facts are these: Since its last Brit adventure we have become accustomed to going to discount supermarkets.

The difference now however is that we expect discounters to look better and to make shopping a little easier – by taking credit cards and making till through-put smoother, for instance.

Netto’s double-act with a supermarket major looks a canny move and it’s hard not to wonder how much advice has been given about winning over shoppers and making things appropriate for the UK, but the assumption has to be made that it’s a lot.

Like all the other big supermarkets, Sainsbury’s has had plenty of time to observe how the UK discounters operate.

And if you can’t join ‘em in-store, beat ‘em up by using the knowledge that you have in concert with a discounter from elsewhere.

This looks a ‘win win’ for both parties and increasingly the fact that shoppers frequent discounters and big grocers must mean that the most effective method of countering the competitive threat is by setting up shop in the same arena.

For Sainsbury’s, this does not mean cannibalising sales from the main chain. Rather, it involves accepting the new landscape and doing something about it. The Imperial Stormtroopers should be welcomed back.